Men rescued after rowboat capsizes in Long Island Sound, police say

Authorities rescued three Brentwood men who were stranded in the water for more than five hours after their rowboat tipped over, Riverhead Town police said.

Edwin Perez, Pedro Benetez and Carlos Joya were rescued shortly after 6:30 a.m. near a capsized boat by Wildwood State Park in the Long Island Sound, police said. Riverhead police, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Suffolk County Police Marine Unit and Wading River firefighters responded.

Firefighters pulled the three men from the water wearing life jackets, police said. The men said they left Wildwood State Park at 10 p.m. and capsized at 1 a.m. and found themselves unable to return to shore.

The three men were taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead by Wading River ambulance and treated for cold water exposure, which was not life-threatening, police said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.